Wander
by huntinghoul
Summary: After the LW's Dad leaves the Vault, madness. That's it. The LW escapes the Vault, and is tracking him down, for two reasons. To make sure he's safe, and to wring an explanation out of him. First fic, R&R appreaciated.


**Disclaimer**

I don't own Fallout 3 or any predecesor's, etc. etc. blah blah blah. This story is rated M for violence, language, and all of the reasons that something _is_ rated M. Read and Review please.

_Prologue_

_Eighteen years in the Vault. Everything was _fine_. Might've been a little annoying, and repetitive, but fine. No trouble. But then it happened. His dad left, and that left the citizens, well, not so much the citizens as the Overseer and the officers, furious. They killed Jonas. Tried to kill James's son too. Nobody could believe he had something to do with it. Not the boy who shut down the Tunnel Snakes, not the teenager who was to be the next Overseer. But they did. And they intened to make him pay. The citizens of the Vault later asked, "Pay for _what_?"._

Chapter One  
** Craziness Underground  
**(Third Person)

Alarms. Noises. Shouting. None of this seemed to wake the sleeping figure. Well, at least not until another figure ran into the room, shut the door, and hauled him to his feet.

"Wake up! Wake Up! **Wake, UP!!**", she was screaming, almost on the border of hysteria.

"Hzbgh..." The sleeping man opened his eyes, and met tear stained ones half a foot away from him. "Amata? What's wrong? Why're you crying?"

"Finally! You're awake! You're getting out of here, you have to! Before they find you!"

Confused, he detached Amata's arms from himself, and stepped back. "What're you talkin' about? Why should I get out of here, and who the hell are they?"

Amata looked at him confused, then it hit her._ He doesn't know what I'm talking about!_ "Umm...I have some bad news. You're d-"

"Hmph. I could've figured that out. What's going on?" The man interrupted.

Amata glared at him for a second, then went back to what she was saying. "You're dad left the Vault, the overseer and gaurds flipped out, and they murdered Jonas. I don't think you knew, but you should get out of here. They're still trying to find you." She glanced at the floor. "I-I'm sorry. I know Jonas was your friend, and this all must come as a shock to you."

The man's expression changed according to what had happened. First confusion, then anger, stuck on anger for a while, shock. "Wait, what!? Jonas is dead?! How? Why!? Never mind. I've got to get out of here. I'll figure it out later. You going to help me or not?

"You jerk! I come here to warn you, and now you're doubting me? I should just leave you here..." A resounding cracking noise emanated from outside the door, and Amata jumped. After making sure nobody was there, she continued. "Look I'm sorry. You didn't deserve that. Here's how your dad got away. There's this secret tunnel in my Father's office, you can use it to escape here. I.....I guess I'll meet you there."

"Alright. Anything else you can do to help me out?"

"Well, I could give you this 10mm I took from Dad. Meet me at the door, and watch out for radroaches. Take care of yourself Jake." And with that she left.

(Jake's POV)

Sighing, I holstered the weapon, grabbed the medical supplies from the wall that Dad kept here, and decided to bring my BB gun along. _Good o'l Dad. Keeping me supplied. _I checked the hallway before I stepped out, and started to walk away. Before I could get ten paces away from the door, Officer Kendall spotted me. _Ah hell._

"You damned punk. We had it good before you and the Doctor left. Come with me, and you won't be hurt."

But I was ready for him. Just as Kendall raised his nightstick, I leaped forward, ramming my shoulder into his chest. He fell to the floor, gasping for breath, when the radroaches came. While they were attacking him, I decided to get out of there. _Can't say that I killed him._ I started towards the atrium, and heard more footsteps. I readied myself for a fight, this time drawing my pistol. I was aiming towards the corner that they would come around. I nearly pulled the trigger too, but I saw it was Butch. I sighed. "Butch, what the hell are you doin' out of your quarters?"

He jumped, and said in a pleading voice, "Please! You gotta help me! My mom's trapped in there with the radroaches! **Please!**"

Again, I sighed. "Butch, give me one _good_ reason as to why I should help you."

"Please! She'll die in there!"

"Damn you Butch." I grumbled. I headed for the De'Loria quarters, and shot the roaches attacking Ellen._ Damn me and my conscience. I'm too nice for my own good._ Once the oversized insects were dead, I pulled Mrs. De'Loria to her feet. "C'mon." I said, "Let's get you to the couch." Of course she was too stunned to say anything, being in shock. Butch ran in shortly after that.

"Thank you man, thank you! I don't know what I'd do without you! Here, take this! It's all I have." With that, he handed me his Tunnel Snake jacket.

"Hey, thanks Butch! This'll do great for fixing up my other stuff!"

Butch paled visibly. "He-**WHAT?!?!** You can't be serious!"

I started walking away, chuckling. _I love to fuck with that guy. It's too easy._ "Seeya around Butch!" I made it to the Atrium uninterrupted after this. I couldn't help but wonder why Dad left me, no, _abandoned_ me, to these insane people. I walked up the steps. Officer Gomez was at the top of the steps, and he looked calm enough. "Officer Gomez, you've always been a good friend of my Father and I, don't make me hurt you. I just want to get by."

"Look, I don't know what happened with Jonas, but I wasn't there, alright!? It was Mack and Thomas, not me! If it were anyone but yourself, I'd turn you in to the Overseer, but just, just go, alright? Knock me out, or else they might think that I let you go unhindered."

I raised an eyebrow. "You..._want,_ me to kill you?"_ What's wrong with you Gomez?_

"No, no! Just knock me out! Don't kill me, Jesus."

I rolled my eyes. "You're an officer, and the officer's killed Jonas. You're with them." I muttered coldly. "I should- LOOK OUT!!" I yelled.

Officer Gomez spun around, and then I smacked him with my pistol. He fell to the floor, and once he hit, I bent over his still form. "Sorry Officer, but I don't want to take any chances." I reached into my pockets and wrapped one of his fists around a brand new stimpack.

"Hope that helps." I stood, and walked to the Overseer's office. On the way I passed Tom and Mary Holden. They ran towards the door to the outer door, but they were shot. _Damn guards. _I snuck past, and finally reached the Almodovar Quarters. "Amata?" I asked. "You there?" She stuck here head out from her room.

"Jake! Thank **God** you're here! C'mon to my Dad's office, we're getting you out of here."

She seemed a little hysterical, but I decieded not to mention it. She'd been through enough, what with the Vault being thrown into chaos. _Now that I think about it, I've been through more than she has._ I shook the thought away, and forced myself to concentrate on more important tasks. "So, where's this tunnel?"

She gave me a, _Really?_, look, and then she said, "First we get **in** the office."

"Hah. Right." I followed her in, and then she walked over to the terminal. After entering a few codes, the Overseer's desk rose, and a staircase appeared under it. "Well." I said quietly, "That's something you don't see everyday." We walked together to the end of the passage, and pressed a button, causing a section of the wall to lower away, revealing the Vault door itself.

"Well, let's get this thing open." Amata said. She nudged me towards the controls.

I stepped up to them, and pressed the, 'Open' button. The door started to move to the side, and two officers, the two that were guarding the door stepped towards me. I didn't know their names, but I knew that they would stop me from going after dad. One charged me, and I jumped to the side.

He slammed stomach first into the controls, winding him. The one on the right aimed his N99 at me. _Shit, shit shit!_ I jumped away, and pulled out my own pistol, panicked. Time slowed, and he was just standing there, not doing anything. _Wha-What the hell?_ Then I realized what happened.

Stanley had upgraded my Pip-Boy a few months back after the radroach attacks grew more frequent, giving me V.A.T.S. abilities. I aimed my pistol at the officer's neck, ignoring his head and torso, and fired.

My aim hit him straight on, burying itself in his neck. I was sprayed with blood. Adrenaline pumping hard through my veins, I shot at the other one, again using V.A.T.S. to see where the most probable hit would be. I shot at his neck as well, and it hit. He went down. It was very quiet while I looted their bodies._ I...I killed somebody. I can't believe it. I really shot someone....what have I done? _

I couldn't take their armor, because I didn't have the Pip-Boy 3000, so I didn't have nearly an eighth as much space in there as I would have. I took their guns, the first officer's N99 and helmet, and the other one's N99 and 10mm. This one was the more heavily armed one.

_Good thing he charged me, and not the other one, _I thought to myself. I looked up, and saw Amata staring, horrified at me. "Amata..." I started, but she shut me off.

"Look Jake, I know they attacked you first, but you could've just disarmed them or even shot their hands, but you killed them in cold blood. I'm not going with you, I hadn't planned on it anyway. I'm staying here to sort stuff out, so get. Find your dad."

It hurt, what she said, but she was right. _I could've just stopped them, not murder them._ "Alright Amata. Stay here. G'bye." I ran towards the door, and stepped outside. I heard the Vault door closing, and fell to my knees. The light burned, and I decided to wait it out near the wooden gate until I could see again.


End file.
